12 Resolutions Project: Champagne Cake Pops

it's month two of my 12 resolutions of 2012 project. the short story is i have challenged myself to make one thing that i have been intimidated to make every month this year. the long story, should you choose to read it, is here.

in january, i made marshmallows and was pleasantly surprised how easy it was. it was messy - i ended up with powdered sugar everywhere - but they were so easy that i am pretty sure i will never buy marshmallows again.

this month, i tackled cake pops. these have been popping up everywhere recently. apparently cake pops are the new cupcakes. heck, starbucks even has them. i scoured the entire internet pinterest for a recipe that struck my fancy and (surprise, surprise) i settled on champagne cake pops. (yes, i used prosecco so either will work).

i have actually made these twice already. once for a birthday celebration for my mom and once to take to a wine tasting party. they both turned out beautifully. the only downfall, is they are very sweet. cake, mixed with icing, and dipped in chocolate makes for a super-sweet bite. the next time i make them, i will use less sugar in the cake itself and see how that works. i also think a chocolate version would cut down a little of the sweetness.

similar to the marshmallows, this dessert proved to be easy to make but time consuming. the steps are simple yet require cooling time in between nearly every stage.

step 1 - bake cake and let cool completely
step 2 - make icing
step 3 - mix together cooled, crumbled cake and icing
step 4 - roll into balls and refrigerate 30 minutes
step 5 - dip sticks into melted chocolate and insert stick into each cake pop. refrigerate at least 1 hour
step 6 - dip each cake pop into melted chocolate, decorate as desired and let cool completely

i ended up baking the cake the night before and letting it cool overnight. the next morning i rolled the balls and added the sticks in the am and dipped 2-3 hours before the event. luckily, the final chocolate dipping hardens fairly quickly and doesn't need refrigeration.

the verdict? these cake pops are perfect when you are wanting to make a visually impressive dessert. these would make a beautiful centerpiece and can be customized to fit with any color theme. an added bonus? they are delicious! i will definitely be making these again.

p.s. they would be a perfect dessert for valentine's day. red velvet cake pops or chocolate cake pops with pink and red sprinkles would be ideal.

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Champagne Cake Pops 
adapted from sweetapolita
makes 6 dozen cake pops (can easily be halved just bake one 8x8" pan)

champagne cake:
3 cups cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 egg whites, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups champagne/prosecco, room temperature

preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together on medium speed until pale and fluffy, roughly 4-5 minutes. meanwhile, sift together all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and set aside. slowly add egg whites to butter mixture on medium speed. combine vanilla and champagne in a measuring cup. alternately add dry ingredients and champagne, beginning and ending with dry (flour, champagne, flour, champagne, flour) and mix until fully incorporated, but do not overmix.

evenly distribute batter into two buttered and floured 8x8" baking pans. bake at 350°F 25-35 mintues until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. cool completely on a wire rack.

champagne buttercream icing:
26 tbs unsalted butter, softened
3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 cup champagne/prosecco
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, roughly 8-10 minutes. slowly add powdered sugar and beat 4 minutes on medium speed. add vanilla and champagne and beat 3 more minutes. icing will be creamy and fluffy.

working in 2 batches, break up one completely cooled cake and add to bowl of electric mixer. mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes until completely crumbled. add 1 cup champagne icing and blend until mixed. it will form into a dough-like consistency. repeat with remaining cake and icing.

using a small cookies scoop (for uniform-sized balls) roll dough into balls and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. refrigerate 30 minutes.

chocolate coating:
melting chocolate in the color of your choice
sprinkles
white lollipop sticks (you can find them here) 

melt a small amount of chocolate in a tall thin container for easy dipping. dip each stick into a little chocolate before inserting stick into ball. repeat with each cake ball. place on parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate at least 1 hour (can be overnight).

melt chocolate in a tall thin container for easy dipping. dip each ball into chocolate and allow chocolate to drip off (i like to tap the wrist of the hand holding the stick to get excess chocolate off). place on parchment-lined baking sheet and immediately decorate with sprinkles if desired. repeat with each ball and let sit at room temperature until chocolate coating has hardened. store in airtight container.

12 Resolutions Project - Marshmallows

so first up in my 12 resolutions for 2012 is homemade marshmallows. i have been wanting to make these for a while now. after some research, i decided to follow alton brown's recipe for the first time (okay so i kind of followed his recipe and some suggestions from reviewers) and then play around with the recipe a bit.

they seem relatively easy but honestly, i didn't have a candy thermometer. i figured this was a great excuse to buy one. turns out, after one over-cooked batch of sugar that resulted in a completely ruined batch,

i realize the candy themometer isn't working correctly. luckily, a meat thermometer works in a pinch and i was back in business for the second batch.

the pros of homemade marshmallows - they are super easy to make and come without crazy ingredients i can't pronounce!

the cons of homemade marshmallows - powdered sugar everywhere!

homemade marshmallows are super sticky so you will need lots of powdered sugar to dust the pan they set in, the cutting board and the knife used to cut them. the good news is it's totally worth it. they were super easy to make and you can flavor them any way you want.

i went the purist route the first time and just used vanilla extract, but i can't wait to make marshmallows flavored with baileys, almond, and maybe even cake batter.

i hosted a dessert and drinks party for my mom's milestone birthday (happy bday momma!) and i decided to take the homemade marshmallows one step further and use them to make dipped smores. i simply sandwiched marshmallows between two graham crackers and dipped them into melted chocolate. they flew off the platter!

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Vanilla Marshmallows
slightly adapted from alton brown @ foodnetwork.com

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tbs vanilla extract
powdered sugar
Nonstick spray

pour the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment along with 1/2 cup of the water. 

prepare a 9x13" pan by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray and them cover it completely with powdered sugar.

in a medium saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, sugar, corn syrup and salt over medium high heat. cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. uncover and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F.  once the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, immediately remove from the heat.

turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping.

immediately pour mixture into powdered sugar covered pan and spread evenly with a greased spatula. let sit overnight. when set, dump onto powdered sugar dusted cutting board and cut into desired size (i cut mine into the size of 1/4 of a graham cracker sheet) with a serrated knife. store in an airtight container.

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Dipped Smores

vanilla marshmallows
graham crackers
melting chocolate
dark chocolate chips

combine 1 part melting chocolate with 1 part dark chocolate chips and melt in the microwave in a microwave safe container. stir well to combine. i like to use a deep glass for ease of dipping.

break each graham cracker sheet into four pieces. sandwich marshmallow in between 2 graham cracker pieces and dip into melted chocolate halfway. set onto parchment lined baking sheets and let chocolate harden. serve immediately (graham crackers will get a little soggy once dipped in chocolate if left out too long.

12 Resolutions in 2012 Project

whenever i hear advice about how to be happy in your career, it inevitably includes something along the lines of "find something you love to do and make it your career."

i may be among the "lucky" ones who has indeed found something i like to do and i have managed to find a way to make money doing it. for those that don't know, it's cooking. my day job is being a personal chef.

however, i would argue that when you make something you love to do your job, it somehow becomes a little less fun to do. it begins to feel like work. 99% of the time i love my job but 1% of the time i think i can't possibly put different food groups together and form a meal. i lack creativity and am certain i couldn't come up with a new recipe if someone had a gun to my head (thankfully, that's not how this profession works). i will say there are other times when ideas are plentiful and i have to write things down to makes sure i don't forget.

the problem with my line of work is when i come home from a day of cooking, my husband and i still need to eat. therefore, i get to cook/work some more. perhaps this is why i truly love vacations because when i go away, i cannot cook (even if i wanted to). i truly get time off.

i hope this isn't coming off as complaining, there are many, many jobs out there much harder than mine and i can only imagine some occupations are truly never-ending (hello parenthood) but i feel as though i am going through a drought in the ideas department. it seems this happens to me after the holidays. during november and december i have reason after reason to be cooking, baking, experimenting, and menu planning (some obvious examples include thanksgiving, holiday parties, and christmas cookies). but now winter sets in both literally and figuratively.

so, finally, i get around to my point. (i know, it's taken me a while, right? i may have even lost some people to far more interesting things like Facebook, watching tv, or cleaning the bathroom.) i have devised a plan to give me a little incentive or kick-in-the-rear for the new year. instead of a new years resolution, i have decided to pick something every month that i have always wanted to make and never have - for whatever reason. some things may be because they are too labor intensive (a big turn off in the kitchen for me), too time-consuming, too scary (macaroons come to mind for this one, i must add it to my list), or too expensive to make.

so this is my plan for 2012 - call it a resolution if you will - cook/bake/create one thing every month that is outside of my comfort level. january's challenge is coming up this week. but, just so you know, i'll take requests too. let me know what you have wanted to make but never have - i'd love to hear from you!